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Medical Countermeasures Against Chemical Threats

Nervous System

Short-Term Goals

Initiate appropriate clinical studies to determine the safety and efficacy of promising anticonvulsants, such as midazolam, that would lead to Food and Drug Administration licensure, and explore the use of such products in different populations

Establish a drug development program that includes preclinical drug screening and clinical studies on potential anticonvulsant and neuroprotective therapies

Identify and validate appropriate models for preclinical drug testing, including in vitro systems and animal models, to investigate the effects of high and low levels of exposure to nerve agents

Expand knowledge of how different nerve agents are absorbed, distributed, metabolized, and eliminated by the body, and explore the interactions of agents with current antidotes

Determine optimal drug formulations of the most promising medical countermeasures, and safe and effective route(s) of administration

Explore the practical use of enzyme bioscavengers that could be used to treat victims after exposure to nerve agents

Establish a collaborative research effort with the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) to develop medical countermeasures against nerve agents of greatest concern, capitalizing on current and future DoD research

Develop a comprehensive medical research program that involves academia and industry in the development of specific medical countermeasures directed against nerve agents